34 OF THE WORD ESAU. 



prince ordered them to expel a tribe of people, at 

 that time in rebellion against him, and this migra- 

 tion of the Egyptian troops, introducing the arts 

 and manners of a refined nation, had a very sensible 

 effect in civilizing the Ethiopians." The most 

 interesting particulars we gather from this informa- 

 tion, is the name of the city, or, as I presume, the 

 chief seat of these fugitives, Esar. 



By a singular coincidence in the Old Testament, 

 we are told that Esau is Edom, and although I am 

 not going to infer from this alone, any connexion 

 between that patriarch and the Ethiopian city, 

 Esar, yet the philological analogy between the 

 scriptural proper names, curiously enough, also 

 exists between those of profane history ; for the 

 Esar and Amhara of our subject, express the very 

 same idea as Esau and Edom, which by all 

 Biblical commentators, is allowed to be the colour 

 red. " And the first came out red, all over like an 

 hairy garment; and they called his name Esau." 

 (Genesis xxv. 25.) 



In the present Dankalli language, and I 

 think also, in that of ancient Meroe, Assar sig- 

 nifies red. In the Persian, I am given to under- 

 stand that the planet Mars is called Azer, from its 

 characteristic colour, a circumstance of significant 

 import when it is considered that the word Calla, 

 from which is derived Galla, " Ab " the root of 

 Abi, and " Nil," from which comes Nile, with 

 others I have yet to speak of, as designations of 



